VINDICATED BY THE SPIRIT

VINDICATED BY THE SPIRIT

1Tim. 3:16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Not everybody believes in the supernatural display of the power of God. Many people have some sort of belief that God worked powerfully in the Bible days but not so much now. Today, we have a more dignified, mental approach to God. Somehow its no longer necessary for the power of the Holy Spirit to move in our lives. It really was the same in Jesus time. The religious leaders had no use for the power of God. When rumors of the miracles began to spread, they made it their ambition to shut it down. It was actually the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead that proved to be the final straw. But the Bible says that it was the power of the Spirit that vindicated or ratified the earthly ministry of Jesus. People could argue all they wanted and put out their religious views but vindication came through the power of signs and wonders. Here is how R.T. Kendall sees this idea of vindication by the Spirit.

“Jesus was “vindicated by the Spirit” in the days of His earthly ministry. This meant He got His approval through the Holy Spirit from the Father alone—not from people’s approval. It also referred to His followers who were drawn to Him in faith by the Holy Spirit. Faith is a gift of God. This means that those who believed in Jesus had been drawn to Him by the Spirit. Jesus’s vindication by the Holy Spirit continues to this day. Even though He is at the right hand of God and is highly exalted in heaven, the only ones who believe this are those whose hearts have been drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit.
My hypothesis then is that the principle of vindication by the Spirit is at stake when it comes to the miraculous. Vindication by the Spirit is an internal vindication. The Holy Spirit witnesses in our hearts. Furthermore, those who are faithful believers in Jesus’s power today are more likely to see His healing miracles than those who say, “I will believe it when I see it.” In other words, as Jesus appeared to those who were previously drawn to Him, it may be that God shows His manifest power to those who have previously believed He is willing to show His glory.”

Our testimonies actually become the proof text of the ministry of Jesus. Paul said that we become epistles of the Spirit who writes on our hearts. I know Christ is real by the witness of the Spirit in my life. In the same way, I know the Baptism in the Spirit is real, physical healing is real, the power of prayer is real; all of these things are real to me being witnessed by the Holy Spirit. So if someone tries to take away your belief in the supernatural tell them they are too late, the ministry of Jesus has been vindicated by the Spirit in your life.

There will always be those who do not want to see- the God haters.
There will always be those babes in Christ who cannot see past the teaching of their denominations.
God is so real in my life and loves to demonstrate His power to any who are open. What a terrible tragedy to go through life denying the moving of our very best friend the Holy Spirit